The Indefinite Particle ما
To talk about unspecified people, places, or things, Arabic pairs an indefinite noun with the particle ما. Here, ما acts like the English words "some" or "a certain."
| some, a certain (indefinite) | ماmâ |
Combining the word for "person" (شخص) with this particle creates شخص ما ("someone" or "a certain person").
| Someone knocked on the door, but he did not enter. | طرق شخص ما الباب، لكنه لم يدخل.taraqa shakhsun mâ al-bâba, lâkinnahu lam yadkhul. |
Describing Unknowns
You can describe vague clues and unidentified individuals using adjectives like مجهول (unknown) and غامض (mysterious). These adjectives follow standard noun-adjective matching rules, while indefinite references like شخص ما serve as subjects.
| Someone made an unknown call yesterday. | أجرى شخص ما مكالمة مجهولة أمس.ajrâ shakhsun mâ mukâlamatan majhûlatan amsi. |
| Someone lost a mysterious envelope here. | أضاع شخص ما مغلفا غامضا هنا.adâ'a shakhsun mâ mughallafan ghâmidan hunâ |
Somewhere (مكان ما)
Applying this rule to the word for "place" (مكان) creates مكان ما ("somewhere").
| I found a mysterious envelope somewhere. | عثرت على مغلف غامض في مكان ما.'athartu 'alâ mughallafin ghâmidin fî makânin mâ |
| Someone hid somewhere in the forest. | اختبأ شخص ما في مكان ما في الغابة.ikhtaba'a shakhsun mâ fî makânin mâ fî al-ghâbati |
Something and Some Reason
You can also pair this pattern with شيء (thing) to say "something" (شيء ما), or with سبب (reason) to say "for some reason" (لسبب ما).
| I am waiting for an unknown call for some reason. | أنتظر مكالمة مجهولة لسبب ما.antaziru mukâlamatan majhûlatan lisababin mâ |
| An unknown visitor left something in the room in which we are sitting. | ترك زائر مجهول شيئا ما في الغرفة التي نجلس فيها.taraka zâ'irun majhûlun shay'an mâ fî al-ghurfati allatî najlisu fîhâ. |
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